Himawari
by Eternal-Explosionist
Summary: She had him with her smile.The way her blue eyes brightened in recognition.She was so sincere, so honest, it almost made his heart hurt.Her hand would gently brush across the Akimichi clan marking before giving it a gentle kiss.Please, let her be his...
1. Chapter 1

_**Himawari**_

_**"Sunflower"**_

Eternal: Hi, yes, it's me. I'm alive, contrary to popular belief. Just thought I'd work on this sweet story for a change of pace and I hope you readers enjoy it!

Let's go!

**Chapter One**

_The Sunflower, are known for their striking beauty and utility, as they provide food and oil. Sunflowers turn and follow the sun, drawn naturally to the light more than others. Positive. Sunflowers also mean "adoration"._

It was a normal day at the Akimichi household. Rather quiet, the scent of cooking food in the air, in preparation to that night's dinner. Choyu, the youngest Akimichi, was helping her mother in the kitchen while prattling off about her first day at the Acadmey. Chouza, clan leader, had just returned from a meeting with the Hokage and his fellow teammates Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara. Now he was resting in his chair for a moment before most likely joining in the others in the kitchen. Then there was Chouji, heir to the Akimichi name, who was on his way to the door, hand reaching for the doorknob when his mother called for him.

"Training?" she guessed with a smile. She was a kind woman, with her short kept brown hair and rounded figure. Chouji nodded.

"Yeah, meeting up with Ino and Shikamaru," he answered. They locked eyes for a moment, mother and son, and Chouji swallowed uncomfortably. He knew that look.

"Just be home for dinner!" she chirped, smiling. He agreed and walked out the door into the sunny streets of Konoha.

As soon as he was far enough away from his house, he gave a deep sigh. It was going to be another night of a well cooked meal and discussing his future as Akimichi leader. It wasn't that he was unwilling to be the leader, he wanted to be very badly. It was just the other strings that came with the package. One in particular.

"Marriage," he mumbled to himself. His mother's favorite topic. She would bring up the names of practically every girl in the village and Chouji would decline them, stating that the girl mentioned had a boyfriend, husband, was an heiress to their own clan with a kekkai genkai. Next, she would try to bring up civillian names, but Chouji would politely decline them again. No village girl in their right mind would want to date him, let alone become his wife, due to his looks.

He was a tall, big boned shinobi. The Akimichi clan were known for being able to convert calories into chakra, but no average villager would see to that, they would just see him as overweight. His brown hair had grown very long over the years as well, also an assist to his shinobi techniques. Again, a normal girl would most likely not see that aspect.

He gave another sigh as he got closer to Team 10's training grounds. He could pick Ino and Shikamaru out easily enough. Ino's trademark blonde ponytail was hard to miss along with Skiamaru's relaxed, almost slouched posture. His stomach clenched, just as he raised a potatoe chip to his mouth, frozen. Ino and Shikamaru were preoccupied, with each other that is. They were simply kissing, holding one another and enjoying the other's presence.

Of course, Ino and Shikamaru were dating. Chouji sometimes forgot that fact due to growing up around them since the day they were assigned to the same team. Though Shikamaru thought all women were troublesome, he had noticed the lazy genius keeping an eye out for the blonde. Especially in battle and recently, while in public as well. Sending almost warning looks to the men in the village that attempted to make a move on her.

But still. Their coupling only made him feel more alone and hyperly aware of his single status. Eternally single status. While other members of his shinobi community had dated multiple people, Chouji had yet to date once. Yet to hold another close. Yet to trust someone so intimately. Yet to kiss.

And now the world was pressuring him to find a wife. How was he to do that when he's never dated at all?

Instead of walking up to the pair and awkwardly interrupting the moment, the Akimichi heir let loose another heavy sigh and started to walk back to the village shops. Maybe finding lunch would distract him enough for the moment.

* * *

"Ryoko!" came her mother's shrill voice. Ryoko Sutomara visably jumped, panicked. Holding up her floured hands, she looked around despretely for a towel only to find none.

"Um, um, come on, anything?" she muttered to herself, unable to find a surface to hide her guilty hands. The handle of the door turned and Ryoko had to settle with hiding her hands behind her back as her mother walked in. Yonori Sutomara was a very stern woman with pin straight black hair that she wore in a bun at the base of her neck and sharp blue eyes. She walked with perfect posture and knew every proper word and manner for any situation.

"There you are," she sighed, turning to her daughter. She placed the groceries on the counter and Ryoko smiled easily.

"Hello mother," she greeted. She nodded, acknowledging her greeting, stilling once she realized what her daughter was wearing.

"Ryoko," she began slowly, "Just _what _are you wearing?" Raising a brow, the girl looked down at herself before smiling, twirling around as to showcase. Her outfit was white, the sleeves rolled up due to the flour and she had a blue apron tied around her waist.

"It's my uniform! Didn't you see it the other day?" she asked. Her mother didn't answer her, snatching her wrists and examining the flour. She sighed heavily.

"I have told you time and time again, Ryoko. Men do not like to have their women working. It is your job, your duty to stay home and tend to the house," she lectured. It was all Ryoko could do not to roll her eyes. "And your hands, child! Just what were you doing?"

"Well, I was going to try and work on this cake, but then I saw the time and that I didn't have enough so I thought I might as well save it for tomorrow-" Her mother simply shook her head, no longer listening. She never did, not for long anyway.

"You should be focusing on your practices, your rehersals. You should be trying to win a suitor. Not this play in the kitchen and foolish work," she told her. Ryoko held her tongue as her wrists were released and Yonori lifted her hands in the air in defeat.

"Go on. Go on to wherever you're going to cause trouble." Ryoko simply nodded, rinsed her hands quickly in the sink and walked outside, her pace quick.

She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. No worries, mother would accept her working once she simply got use to a schedule, that was all. Then she could worry about satisfying her mother's desire of finding her a husband later. Much later. And hopefully persuade her mother to let her continue to practice her cooking. Though mother did always try to discourage her unneccesary cooking, telling her that a woman shouldn't be cooking unless it is what her husband calls for.

Taking another breath, she clapped her hands together sharply, dispelling the negative thoughts. She had to think positive, on the brighter side of things.

"Maybe they'll even let me cook today?" she hoped. A fellow civillian sent her a wave and her smile returned well enough as she waved back. There. Better already.

It didn't take very long for her to reach the ramen stand and she fished the white bandana from her apron pocket, tying it into her wavy golden brown hair. She gave it an extra tug, just to be sure that it was tight enough to keep her shoulder length hair away, the waves and curls were notorious for coming loose. Though the rambunctious shorter layers in the front, there was a power strong enough to keep those back.

"Hello, Ryoko! Ready for another day?" asked the owner, Teuchi Ichiraku. She gave a bright smile, the concerns with her mother gone from her mindset temporarily.

"Yes sir!"

The owner was currently flanked by two young men, both new as well, Nishi and Matsu. She greeted them and they returned the gesture. Teuchi folded his arms across his chest and studied the three new hires. Ryoko stood up straight and watched his expression carefully as she tried to keep a lid on her excitement. So far, they had been trained on the basics: cleaning, and taking orders. Then the other day, he allowed Matsu and Nishi to try their hand at cooking. To be put nicely, it wasn't a great first impression. Poor Naruto had to wait a very long time for his order. She hoped that maybe he would give her a chance since the boys didn't have such a great start.

"Ryoko!" he called. "You're on cooking today."

"Yes!" she cheered with a small jump. She stilled when she saw everyone staring and she blushed modestly. "I mean, yes sir!" she corrected.

To her relief, Teuchi gave a loud bark of laughter and clapped her on the shoulder, turning her toward the two boys. "Now that's the kind of attitude I want to see!"

After a few short words with the boys, he sent them into the building. Next, he explained what she was going to do as a first run. She would greet the customer, take their order, make the food and present the meal. Lastly, she was to hear the verdict from the customer, whether it was said directly or by simply observing the behavior. Ryoko agreed to the terms and walked inside with a strong stride, keeping her morale up. No sense to be paranoid, all she to do was the best she could. That's all there was to it.

She walked into the building, washed her hands and walked up to the counter where one customer was waiting patiently, eyes downward. He looked a little let down and Ryoko made it her personal goal to get him to smile. He was a big boned individual, with long brown hair that appeared very spikey and she could tell he was a shinobi by the hiate-ate he wore on his forehead and his armor styled clothing. He also had tattoos on each cheek, a red swirl for each side. Maybe a clan marking? Ryoko wasn't very well informed when it came to shinobi clans. Another perk to working at such a social location, she got to meet a variety of people. Before, she maybe caught a glimpse of a few shinobi here or there but never quite face to face.

She took a breath to calm her skittering pulse, a blush rising. She would give him her best, that's all she could do.

"Hello! Welcome to Ichiraku's Ramen!" she greeted with her trademark smile. "How can I help you?" He looked up at her quickly, as if he didn't notice her standing right in front of him. He had brown eyes, she noticed subconsciously.

"Oh...um...hello," he stumbled over his words but Ryoko kept her smile, pretending that she hadn't noticed.

"Hello to you too! What would you like today?" she asked again. His gaze flickered away from her and to the menu instead.

"Oh, um," he stammered, as though he hadn't decided yet.

"Would you like a few more minutes?" she asked kindly, tucking her pencil behind her ear. There were no other customers at the bar, so she was in no rush.

"I'll just take whatever the special is today," he answered, his cheeks a little flushed. Though she couldn't tell if that was from his clan tattoos or a legitimate blush. She scribbled the order down on her little notepad, after looking over her shoulder at the board to read what the special was for the day.

"What's your name?" she asked, looking directly at him. He looked at her confused and she blushed heavily, embarressed.

"S-sorry! I'm not good with shinobi names, I didn't mean to come off as rude or anything!" she explained quickly. He raised his hands, palms facing her in a reassuring manner.

"It's okay," he laughed gently. "My name's Chouji Akimichi." She nodded and wrote the name down, studied it and then leaned toward him across the counter, showing him the notepad.

"Is that how you spell it?" she asked. He seemed taken aback by her closeness but gave a nod anyway.

"Okay, be back in a few minutes!

* * *

When Chouji arrived at the ramen stand, he was a little bummed out that no one else was there. Not even Naruto who practically had a seat always in reserve. So, he simply gave another sigh and took a seat, gaze wandering as he fell lost to his thoughts.

Too much was clouding his mind. The fact that Ino and Shikamaru were officially together, which would make him the eternal third wheel because Shikamaru wouldn't him to be alone. But always being the third wheel was sometimes worse than being alone. Next came his family and the pressuring to find a wife. A wife, not a girlfriend but a wife. The one person he would be spending the rest of his life with. He gave a heavy sigh, wanting nothing more than to just will the complications away. He liked it when he was younger and his only concern was staying alive during missions. Not all this social awkwardness.

"Hello! Welcome to Ichiraku's Ramen! How can I help you?"

Quickly, he looked up to see who was talking to him. Usually Ayame or Teuchi just made his usual and hardly asked anymore. The girl standing across the counter from him was a new hire, much like the two boys from the other day Naruto complained about. His throat tightened as she smiled at him. Blue eyes regarded him kindly and her golden brown curls and waves were pinned back with the white bandana, identical to the one Ayame wore. He could vaguely hear himself stammer over a few words and the girl held her smile with him, not at all bothered.

"Would you like a few more minutes?" she asked, tucking the pencil behind her ear. He could feel his face grow warm, embarressed for being unable to speak properly.

"I'll just have whatever the special is for today," he managed. She stole a glance at the board behind her to see what the special was for the day, with her being new and all she probably didn't quite know them off the top of her head.

"What's your name?" she asked, pencil prepped on the notepad. Bright blue eyes studied him and he lost his voice again. She reacted to the silence, her own face flaming as she stammered her reason.

"S-sorry! I'm not good with shinobi names, I didn't mean to come off as rude or anything!" Her embarressed concern loosened the paralysis on his voice and he managed a soft laugh.

"It's okay. My name's Chouji Akimichi," he told her. Now if she would just return the gesture, giving her name. She nodded and took his name down and a moment later she leaned closer to him, showing the paper.

"Is this how you spell it?" she asked, eyes glancing up at him. He could hardly focus on the words, he was far more focused on their closeness, the hue of her eyes, the pinkness in her cheeks, the way her lips kept wanting to settle in a smile, the fairness of her skin, the loose layers of hair that curled near the edge of her eyelashes and the fact that she smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, like a bakery. The shinobi habbit of noticing details hard to supress.

He could vaguely recall nodding because she smiled at him again and headed to the kitchen to prepare the ramen. As soon as she was completely in the kitchen, he raised a hand to his chest, trying to quiet his pounding heart beat beneath the armor. His Akimichi appetite was forgotten for the moment.

It hardly took any time before the girl came back with a steaming bowl of noodles cradled in her hands, walking very carefully so not to drop it, gaze focused intently on the hot bowl. Gently, she placed it in front of him, a look of triumph on her face.

"And there you are!" she announced. He thanked her and she took a step back, watching the kitchen door most likely for Teuchi to give her another job. Chouji broke the chopsticks apart and brought the steaming noodles to his mouth. It only took his tastebuds a few seconds for it to register.

"This is really good," he said. The girl flinched and turned her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked. He gestured to the bowl.

"This is really good," he repeated. "Did Teuchi try something new?" Her eyes rounded slightly and she shook her head.

"N-no, um...I-I made it," she stuttered, face growing pink again.

"Wow, it's great. Really," he complimented, his own face growing warm. A bright smile broke across her face, hands clasping the little notepad, pencil still tucked away behind her ear.

"Thanks! You just made my day!" she said. It struck him how honest and sincere her smile was.

"What's your name?" he blurted.

"Oh," she smiled. "I'm Ryoko Sutomara!" Just as he was going to say something else, Teuchi called for her.

"Ryoko! We have other customers!" She blushed at being called and she gave the shinobi a wave and one last smile.

"Thanks Chouji! Have a good day!"

He watched her hurry off to tend to the other customers, his own smile staying as he took another bite of his noodles.

* * *

**R E V I E W! Reviews please as I always love hearing your thoughts! Have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Himawari**_

_**"Sunflower"**_

Eternal: I know, I know, I've been artistically dead for...a long time...But I do have a couple of chapters partially finished so others may be getting their updates as well!

Enjoy!

**Chapter Two**

Ichiruka's was packed with people that night. Ryoko hardly had the chance to grab a quick drink of water as she hustled from party to party, taking orders, smiling and lightly chatting then running the orders back to Teuchi, Nishi and Matsu who were working over boiling pots of water, trying to make the orders as quickly as she was taking them. Unfortunately, Ayame was home was a fever, leaving Ryoko as the only waitress and kitchen runner. Trays heavy with full, steaming bowls of noodles were piled high as she took as many as she could carry, then more, and took them back out to the customers.

Now, Ryoko was a few weeks old at the job by now, but still she would perfer it if Ayame was by her side, helping with any questions she may have. Alas, tonight she was on her own. Her body moved on autopilot thankfully as she returned orders, took down names and refilled bowls in a mass of movement. Thankfully the dinner rush was slowing to a close, not that she particularly noticed, time just flew by as she tried to stay ontop of the madness.

"Ryoko! Need a break yet?" called Teuchi from the kitchen. Relief relaxed her shoulders at the idea of being able to sit for a few minutes but just as she was going to answer, another party of people entered.

"Not yet, sir. One of the boys can have mine," she answered. Taking the pencil from behind her ear and the notebook from her pocket, she walked up to the new group, not quite looking up at them yet.

"Hello!" she greeted. It was a shinobi team consisting of a very pretty blonde girl, a man with bored expression and black spikey ponytail, and then the third member she recognized.

"Oh! Hi, Chouji!" she chirped, smiling a bit more brightly.

Chouji looked up quickly, cheeks burning when he recognized the waitress.

"H-hello Ryoko. Um...how are you?" he managed. She smiled at him and gave a soft laugh.

"I'm good! How about you?" she returned the question.

"Good," he mumbled, eyes darting to the side. Ryoko gave a smile as heat spread from the back of her neck to her cheeks, hopefully no one noticed as they took their seats. She quickly cleared her throat and put the pencil to paper.

"Um, so, how can I help you?" she asked. The blonde order a light ramen, most likely trying to avoid the heavy calories. The man next to her order a plain noodle, and Chouji order as he did the time before. She tucked the pencil behind her ear once more and smiled.

"Alright, it'll just take a moment. I'll be right back!" she chirped as she left to turn in their order.

* * *

Ino was quick to connect the dots. Sure, she was a kunoichi, rival against Sakura Haruno, and in training to become a medic-nin, but she was also a flourist with an eye for detail and a woman. She knew the signs. Not to mention that had been a friend and teammate to Chouji Akimichi ever since they were little Genins, she knew him very well. Perhaps not quite as well as Shikamaru, but enough to know his little signs too.

The stammering, mumbling and incoherant speaking in addition to the obvious blushing gave away that he was clearly flustered. His gaze flickered to and from the waitress, scared to caught looking at her too long. Clear indication that he found her attractive.

Then there was the waitress, Ryoko as Chouji had addressed her. Given that he was a well ranked shinobi, of course he would remember her name out of habbit, but it could still be a factor. Ryoko was not a shinobi, that much was clear. With their sometimes crazy schedule of missions, most full time shinobi do not have the time to try and rope a second job. Not to mention the lack of clear muscle tone. Her form was soft, and her hands bore no callouses from fighting and weaponry.

She had blushed as well as soon as she saw Chouji. Her eyes showed recognition and her smile reached her eyes when she spoke to him. Obvious signs, clear to other females that a girl was trying to make progress with a male.

Ryoko returned with a tray of steaming noodles, presenting the proper bowl to each customer with her good manners and a smile for each of them. Though her smile reached her eyes again when she served Chouji. Ino could see her blush creep forward from the back of her neck and Chouji was equally pink cheeked, the Akimichi markings not very helpful. They had a short basic conversation before she was called into the kitchen again by her boss.

The team had a few bites of food before Ino's sharp gaze cut around Shikamaru and locked on Chouji.

"So what's her name?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could manage. Best not to press too hard in case he clams up and avoids her questions.

"Ryoko Sutomara," he answered after a heafty bite. There was no pause for recollection. Ino's smirk only stretched further, the whisps of a plan coming together. Shikamaru gave a her a glance and sighed before returning to his food, his knee leaning against her own.

"Hm, seems nice," she commented, returning to nibble on her food. Chouji vaguely nodded, now slowly taking in his food. Slower than usual, displaying his obvious distraction. Oh yes, a plan was going to be created, because if there was nothing Ino loved more, it was playing Matchmaker. And she was in the presence of a match in desprete need of being made. How could she resist?

* * *

She was working again, Chouji noted. He had spotted her golden brown curls and his heart started to hammer when she addressed them, as was her job. It was her job, but he found his mind hoping that her smile was for him. Personally. Just him. His face flamed at the thought as he took his seat, hardly able to speak properly when she asked him for his order.

He kept quiet while Ino sent him looks around Shikamaru, like she had a question, but she was holding her tongue and he was far too distracted to pay her too much attention anyway. His brown eyes kept catching glimpses of the golden brown curls as she moved past the slight doorway dividing the public from the kitchen. There was mild chatter and she giggled at something that was said, making him smile to himself in response. It only took a few minutes before she came back with a tray of hot food. She handed the correct bowls to the three man team, starting with Ino and ending with him.

"So, um, h-how have you been?" she asked, pink cheeks rising with a smile. His eyes widened slightly at being addressed and his face warmed again.

"Oh, um, fine, I-I've been fine," he stammered. "Yourself?"

"Good! I've, um, I've been good, thanks," she answered, tucking her pencil behind her ear. She flinched when her name was called from the kitchen and she mumbled a quick excuse, almost stumbling to return to the back.

There was a bubble of silence before Ino leaned so slightly around Shikamaru, so to see him with minimal direct eye contact.

"So, what's her name?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Ryoko Sutomara," he answered, taking another bite. Delicious. It was Teuchi's usual cooking, but it wasn't quite like Ryoko's bowl that he had during his last visit. That was something different, his palette could still recall the delicate yet powerful flavor. In fact, he missed it.

There was a crash, quickly followed by the shattering of ceramic bowls. Chouji's eyes flashed to the doorway where Ryoko's body laid on the floor, her back in clear view from the customer seating. Teuchi was quickly beside her, ordering Nishi and Matsu to close the dividing door and to grab a cold wash cloth.

"What happened?" asked Ino. Shikamaru took another slow bite of his food, while Chouji's chopsticks remained frozen at the bowl.

"She fainted," he answered with a shrug. "Most likely overheated and exhausted. Working hard in a kitchen enviornment, it's hot." His teammates gave him an equal questioning look and the team leader sighed, lowering his chopsticks. "What? It _is _hot, and she's working in an equally _hot _kitchen. Not too mention that her face was flushed and she's was stumbling around. She was bound to drop." He returned to his food without another word.

Ino gave a sympathetic pout before taking another small bite. "Poor thing."

It took a few minutes before the curls came back into focus through the circle peep window and Chouji could see Teuchi holding the cloth to her forehead as she regained her balance. Nishi opened the door again to let some of the steam out and he could hear her apologizing.

"I'm so sorry, Teuchi! I-I didn't mean to, I'm fine, really-!" she rambled, holding the cloth herself now. Teuchi shook his head.

"We'll call it a night. Go home, Ryoko, the boys can manage the front," said Teuchi, arms folding across his chest. "Get some rest. We'll see you on your next shift." Her head lowered.

"Yes sir. Good night..."

Chouji watched her untie her bandana and stuff it into her pocket, releasing the rest of her hair. His heart was pounding as an idea started to rear its head. Bravery was starting to swell within his chest, just as Ino made a comment.

"And now she's walking home alone. I hope she'll be all right..."

Chouji's chest rose with a deep breath as he left his money on the counter and abandoned his seat. It took a few quick strides but he was able to circle the building and see Ryoko's retreating back. His blood was pounding so hard he was nearly deaf as he caught up with her and his hand reached out and touched her shoulder. Electricity jolted throughout his body as she inhaled quickly and turned to look up at him with those blue eyes.

"A little underhanded, playing mind games, Ino," scolded Shikamaru, back at Ichiruka's. His blonde girlfriend shrugged.

"He just needed a bit of a push. No harm done in suggesting anything," she explained sweetly.

Chouji choked on his words for a moment, distracted with their proximity. His hand was still lingering on her shoulder and she was still staring wide eyed at him. For the moment, everything froze. Instead of her work clothes and slightly mussed hair, he could clearly envision her in the Akimichi wedding kimono and his heart just about stopped.

"C-could I...walk you home?" he offered. She studied him for only a moment longer before a smile appeared, cheeks glowing pink under the street lamps. Her hand gently covered his, which was still on her shoulder, soft to the touch.

"I would really like that," she smiled.

* * *

**R E V I E W! Reviews please, as always and yes, it is very shocking that my writing life is still alive, but I've been especially distracted with life/work/boyfriend/laziness/college/etc. So please share your thoughts on Chouji and Ryoko, and their blooming romance.**


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